Being Present...

I love the quote "Begin Each Day as if it were On Purpose" I have a little plaque in our house with that written on it, that has been shuffled from the kitchen to the living room, and now it sits perched on a shelf!! I like to keep it in places that will catch my eye, in hopes to make me pause and think, to slow down, to look around... To Be Present....!!!!
Often times I think that even tho I am physically present at events, parties, or just simple moments in my life spent at home... I am not totally mentally present and I miss out on a lot of precious moments, special smiles, milestone conversations, and what could be intriguing interactions!! I hate feeling that way... I want to savor moments without worry of what's coming next, who is around, or who I have to look out for or take care of, how am I going to accomplish all that needs to be done, where will the following moment take me... I exhaust myself with thought, all the while missing the small stuff!!!!
I pray to be more in tune with each experience, relishing in every moment... no matter if it is good or if it is bad, just be there with purpose!!! To do this a little better I also try to read thought provoking devotionals or stories... Check this out and tell me it doesn't make you think with purpose:

Every Prayer, every thought, every statement, every feeling is creative. 

To the degree that it is fervently held as truth, to that degree will it be made manifest in your experience.

I love that! 

What it says to me is... every part of your being is in constant change, continuous movement...never ending; and it is up to you how you make that movement special, monumental, purposeful!!! No one can do it for you... God has put the ball in your court and it is up to you how you are going to play it! 

So, to be honest... for me that is both awesome and frightening! ha... But none the less it is motivating! I am responsible for my happiness, no one else!! I am the person that can create good or bad... be present or not!!! It is up to me :))) Sometimes I fail miserably at remembering this but some days I own it like no other!!!!

Here are some moments from our summer that we created and owned with great and awesome purpose...

Always - Abbey

a clean house

Ok... this is going to be short and sweet cause my little guys are almost home from camp!

I think that walking into a freshly cleaned house is seriously a glimpse into heaven!!! Am I alone in this thought??!?!?

Since I quit my job over 2 years ago, one of the things we sacrificed was a housekeeper that came twice a month! I never knew how much I adored this little piece of 'spoiledness' I had, until it was gone!!!! And don't get me wrong, I know having a housekeeper is a want, not a need... but it is a glorious need that brings me much happiness!!!
I loathe cleaning, I love the end result but getting my butt in gear to do it as often as my self-diagnosed OCD wants it to be done is a challenge to say the least!!! HA! But I digress....

Now that our house has been on the market for about a month, I have fit a couple of housekeeper days into our budget (sparingly)... and I adore it!!! I mean who doesn't love fresh vacuum lines in carpet...

It may just be me (and I openly admit, I am weird) but I hate walking on carpet that has just been vacuumed! It takes away from all the hard work you just put in. My kids think that I a ridiculous... and I probably am but I don't care!!!! You just can't beat a freshly cleaned room!!!

Above is my craft room... aka our office that I took over with all my craft stuff! Again, the family thinks I am too much but they deal! It looks so nice and inviting when it is straightened and clean!! I just want to jump in there (carefully walking on the carpet, as to not mess up all the vacuum lines, hahaha) and craft away!!!!!

Well... there you have it, a glimpse into my little slice of OCD-ism that is my life!!! Hope you enjoyed it and maybe identified with me a bit... hopefully, so I don't feel like such a nut! LOL!

Always - Abbey

Unique Wreath Tutorial

 A girl's weekend would not be complete without some crafting... (at least for us)!!! So Julie and I hit up Wally-World to try and find some wreaths to jazz up! But in smallsville Decatur and Bowie Texas, there was slim pickings!!! On a whim, we started to look for anything we could wrap with fabric (desperate crafters I tell ya)... and here is what we came up with!!!

Doesn't look much like a wreath, but give me a minute and I will show you our brainchild! LOL...

First we measured a smaller rectangle on the middle of the big rectangle... Notice my lovely measuring tool: A Flea Market Magazine... Greatness!!!

Once done... this is what you should have!

Then I cut it out with a handy cheese knife... again desperate crafters will use anything and everything to craft! HA!

Then just gently push the small rectangle out, you may have to use the knife again but be careful so you don't crack the outer rectangle.

And Ta DA..... this is what you should get!

Not perfect... but close enough! You can always shave the inner edges if you are not a great eyeball measurer, like me!

Next, start wrapping your fabric of choice! I picked red because I needed a patriotic themed wreath for my door... yes even tho it''s past the 4th ;))

I started on the long side, stopping at the corners. I am not sure if starting at the corners would be better??  I had to wrap the corners separately so that I could get it flat...

Then once we were all wrapped I added some blue and white flowers to the corners, and some bling...

Here is the finished product... kinda quirky and different but I really like it!!! 

Sometimes mixing it up and not just putting a round wreath out really adds a lot of color and fun to your front door!!!

Enjoy! And let me know if you try one out!!! 

p.s. here is Julie with her wreath...

Totally cute and totally quirky... Love it!!!

And p.s.s.... be ready for a mess! Cutting into that Styrofoam was crazy messy! I am sure the hotel staff just loved us the next morning...

Always - Abbey

My Cup is Refilled...

I don't know if you are like this, but I run out of steam like almost on a bi-weekly basis sometimes... and when I say steam I mean, personal energy, gusto, ummf, motivation, desire!!!! Is it just me or is being a grown up harder than you ever imagined!!!?!!? Other than the occasionally mindless and kidless trip to Target or a much-loved pedicure, I don't take much 'me' time... just me! Not because I can't or anything... I just don't! Call it crazy, but more times than not, I adore spending time with my sweet team of 4... aka my family :). If I hang with friends, we usually have the kids circling us, screaming, playing, eating, clinging...etc!!! And if Shane and I go out we are usually with another couple or a group of friends who share our love of beverages, food and laughter!! What can I say... I'm a people person, a pleaser, a giver, someone who often yearns for alone time but when I get it, I struggle to relax, chill or find my inner calmness!!! But... this past weekend I totally took some 'me' time with a precious friend (again, see I wasn't alone... but it was me time none the less)... and it completely refilled my cup more than I ever could have hoped!!!

Friendship, to me, is something that I adore but it is also something I have to work at! There have been people in my life that have come and gone, come and destroyed, and come and never left... all were important, all were necessary... but as you can guess there have been times that weren't easy for me! So when I choose a friend, I choose specifically and with much thought (only after many life lessons, have I learned to do this)! A good friend fills your life with certainty that can take over a day with laughter, comfort you during the most horrific times, and give your soul rest when you didn't know you needed it! I am thankful for the people who call me a friend and bless me with the same in return...

So, in honor of a friend that came into my life on a whim (many thanks to a college coach who had no clue what he was doing), she never left, even during some pretty crappy times... here are pics showing our fun girls weekend of shopping, laughing, talking, sweating, shopping, crafting and most importantly making memories that will last a life time and hopefully keep my personal cup filled up for at least a month or more :))))!!!!!

Theme of the weekend!

One of Many Crazy Hat Photo Opps 

One of Many Wally-World trips... some shorter than others!

Should I buy it??

Oh, Yeah!! I'll have her converted in no time!!

The vendors loved that we played with and photographed their stuff, really they did!!!

Scary, yet funny Manikin photo!

Pardon me, is that a good book??

Precious, but not for sale, red birds! :(

When you are amongst friends, it's all good!!!!!!

I am sure I will have about 3-4 more blog posts about this trip... so sorry in advance for the over kill but there is just so much to share!!! Up next... flea market finds and how I used them at home!! Followed by, cool wreath tutorial!!!!
Stay Tuned.... And just for fun, go and tell a friend how much they mean to you! It does the soul good...

Always - Abbey

Randomness and Happiness

I feel like this summer has slapped me in the face! I don't think I used a calendar to plan our events very well this go around, because everything seems to be overlapping and conflicting... ugh! So, needless to say... I have not had time to go to my "blog happy place" :( There has been no time to read or write these past few weeks, and I am cranky about it!!!
But today... today, I will blurt out all that fills my head, pictures and all!! Here it goes...

Happiness #1
Tonight, my dear friend, and person that I still sometimes refer to as my "room mate", Julie is coming to visit! We text constantly, we have been sharing book reviews for over a year now and we have countless memories (good and bad) that we reaccount for endlessly!!! Together we are "Too Twisted for Color TV" and I love her more than my Luggage ;))))

Happiness #2
Fourth of July Memories with my sweet Family... they make the ups and downs of life worth it!

Sometimes these 2 boys show off their brotherly love and the smile it brings to my heart is undescribable!

Randomness #1
My dog is neurotic to say the least! But just when I think he can't get any weirder... he now refuses to walk in our grass! And you know what that means... he pees and poos on our concrete porch! Seriously... are you kidding me!!??

Randomness #2
It is July 7th... I finally put out my patriotic pillow! Winning! But I never made the wreath to go with it! Fail!!!

Happiness #3
Lately our neighbor kids have all been gathering to play outside once it cools off... so like 8pm to 9ish! When they ring the doorbell to ask if Jacob and Matthew can play, the smiles and undeniable hussle our kids have to get their shoes on to rush outside makes me smile and giggle, thinking of the childhood memories I have of running around with my neighbors, playing hide and seek, chase and Star Wars!!!!

Randomness #3
When I would play outside as a kid (on a very busy street) I don't recall my parents sitting outside with us?!!? Now... I barely let 2 minutes go by inside while my kids are outside.... Why is that?! I know all of our neighbors, they are usually outside too with their kids, our street isn't that busy! Crazy the way the world has changed! Sad too, no?

Happiness #4

It has been one year that I deemed myself a reader! Laugh if you must... but I did not like reading!!! So last year around July 4th weekend I proudly proclaimed I was going to read!!!! To date... I have read 19 books! I will happily admit that I do love to read now... I am slow but I am steady, I may take a couple months off from reading in between books but I inevitably pick up another book!!! I give props to this girl again...

This book started it all, it is my all time fav... and without Julie's funny texts, shared competitive nature I would probably not be as enthusiastic about being a reader! LOL :))

Randomness #4
To be loved like God intended, you have to first love yourself. You can not expect other people or things to fulfill you in the way that only you, yourself can. I need to tattoo this to my head so I can see it every morning!!!! I forget that no matter the love you show others, the return will not fill your cup unless you are constantly refilling your own cup first!!!

That's all I have for now... I will get that Patriotic wreath made, even if I don't hang it until August.. it will get made!!! Stay tuned :))))

Always - Abbey